Captured Moments
by Kmsitterley
Summary: If you could take one moment and put it under a magnifying glass, see every thought and fear behind it, what would it be? Take a glimpse at some of the most important moments in the lives of these brave heroes and their thoughts as it occurred. What were they thinking at that very second? That's my mission to reveal. Witness the decisions that dictate the future of their world.
1. Yue: Her Sacrifice

"No! You don't have to do that!"

Her heart sunk. He didn't understand. By doing this she would give her people hope and life for many years to come. But her people were not the only ones in her thoughts. By doing this she would save him; he could live on. He would continue on his journey, and someday, he would marry. Someday someone else would take her place, and she would make him happy again. This sacrifice would give him a life, a life without her, but a life none the less.

"It's my duty, Sokka."

She knew what she had to do. Without this, her people would be without the power that made them strong. She would do this to save them, protect them. She knew that one day she would sacrifice for her people, and now she knew that it wouldn't only be being married to one she loved. It would be her life. She was born weak and protected from harm her whole life, but now was the time that she would be strong. She would stand tall and accept her destiny proudly.

"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you."

He held her hand tighter. She knew that it didn't make a difference what her father said; he would always want to protect her. Because he loved her, but it was because she loved him that she would do this. She would do this for him. He would live his life, fulfill his own destiny, but she could not take part in it. She would do this thing now, for him, for her people, for the world.

"I have to do this."

She placed her hands on the cold dead flesh of what was once their guardian. She closed her eyes and saw her life flying by. The first time she'd had stewed sea prunes, when she lost her first tooth, her best friend when she was twelve, sneaking out of the palace when she was fourteen, and then the past few days. Days spent with him. They would always be her greatest treasure, no matter what happened to her. And then she felt herself drift from her body; everything that made her who she, was seeping from her at once.

And then she opened her eyes to find herself somewhere else, her spirit taking refuge in rays of moonlight. She saw him, his eyes filled with wonder as he looked upon her new form, clothed in white robes. She went to him, wishing with all her heart that he wouldn't forget her. He was greatest reason for her sacrifice.

"Goodbye, Sokka. I'll always be with you."

And she was gone.

But not forgotten. For hundreds of years, people sang of the daughter of the moon; who gave her life that her people would have hope for the future. And she watched them from her place in the sky, but one in particular. She watched him live his life bravely as he fought for his world with honor. And she protected him in every way she could, whispering to his companions whenever he was in danger. And just as she knew he would, he found someone else to love. And she watched from the sky the life that she could have lived at his side. And this is what she gave her life for, that he may live on. This was her gift to him. This was her sacrifice.

_From the sky_

_She watched the life_

_She'd known she would leave behind_

_Said goodbye_

_And gave her people_

_Life through her sacrific__e_

_**Dedicated to Yue**  
_

_**Princess of the Northern Water Tribe  
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_**Daughter of the Moon  
**_

_**And savior of the world and the children of water  
**_

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**Yue. You don't really think about it, but she gave up so much so that her people could live their lives as before. If you haven't already I recommend look up Daughter of the Moon by Adriana Figueroa she actually wrote it in honor of Yue. MissDoonaQueen made a video to this song as a tribute to Yue, I highly recommend it, that's what inspired me to write this so go look it up on youtube!  
**

**So this is the first of my series "Captured Moments" pretty much I am going to take one moment of time from the show taken from one persons point of view and right a short about their thoughts during that one moment and also the repercussions that that action or decision had on the future. Each one will be written in a different kind of format. Next up is a moment for Toph!  
**

**To my followers: I haven't given up on A Fighters Heart but I need a to take a short break from it and focus my creative energy on something else for a few days or what I write for it will be crap and I want to only give you guys the very best! So bear with me guyz!  
**

**Love you all!  
**

**Kmsitterley  
**


	2. Toph: Hanging Blind

**Warning: Slight Tokka following, but it's only hinted in a very small amount so I hope no one is offended.**

**AN: When I say "she saw" I mean with her earth bending (obviously)**

* * *

"Hang on, Toph!"

That was all she could do. She was blind, hanging in the air with the only thing keeping her alive being the hand that she clung to for dear life. She didn't know how high that the airship was off the ground, but she wouldn't dare to hope that she'd survive the fall. So she clung to his hand desperate for him not to let her go.

She hung there, complete blind and helpless. Her whole life she'd depended on only herself and didn't need anyone else. But not now; now the only reason that she was alive was that he wasn't letting her go. For the first time in her life, she was scared. She was scared because she was blind, because she was defenseless, because at any moment she could slip and her life would end there in the heat of battle.

"Aye aye captain."

Her voice was strained even to her own ears. She heard the clanking of metal boots and knew that the soldiers had found them. She had no doubts then; they were going to die. She heard as he grunted and something hit the guards. But she knew he wouldn't be able to pull her up before more came. She knew that he might live, but only if let her go. She couldn't bring herself to say it, and she knew that it didn't matter if she did. He would never let her go; he was the one who always took it upon himself to protect her. And right now he was her anchor, the only thing keeping her tied to this world.

She felt herself slipping, only hanging on to him by her fingertips now. This was it; she was going to die.

"I don't think boomerang is coming back, Toph. I think this is the end."

Tears streamed soundlessly down her cheeks as she thought of everything she'd ever done, and everything she would never do. She thought of her first meeting with the badger moles, the first time she'd felt the earth move beneath her, when she'd become the Blind Bandit, everything she'd done with her friends since she'd left home for what she now knew was the last time.

Her parents. She would never be able to tell them how much she missed them; she would never be able to try to make them understand who she was. They'd never hug her or tell her that they loved her again. She would never hear them say that they were proud of her and that they accepted her for who she was. She'd never get to say goodbye.

She knew what should have come next. What should always come next. Suki would come to their rescue by crashing a different airship into the one that they'd been dangling from. But it never came. Instead she felt herself slip from his grasp, and heard him screaming her name. She fell.

She woke with a start, sitting up in her bed with a scream on her lips. She kicked furiously in an attempt to free her legs from the sheets that were tangled between them; with no success, she simply flung herself off the bed and onto the cold, hard, ground. Once there she spread her palms flat against it; in that moments she saw everything and everyone in the building.

As she regained her sense of direction, angry tears welled up in her eyes. Why did the universe do this to her? Make her relive her most vulnerable moment over and over again. She peeled her legs from the scratchy sheets and stood, walking over to where she had carelessly thrown her robe earlier. After she'd wrapped it around her small frame she walked to her door, pausing before she exited her room. She wasn't the only one awake tonight, he was standing alone on the back porch.

She walked silently through the house. Their whole Gaang had been staying there for three days, taking a break from all other duties to celebrate the end of the war. During the day they would relax going shopping or just staying home all day. But at night, no one slept much. She would awake at least once a night to someone's agonizing scream. Fighting in a war had that effect on a person.

And apparently she wasn't alone in her nightmares tonight. She stood in the doorway to the porch, simply feeling his sporadic heart beats and his uneven breathing. He obviously was still dwelling on whatever had plagued him in his sleep.

"You too?"

She saw him look over his shoulder before heaving a sigh and looking back over the balcony.

"Yeah."

He sounded just as frustrated as she'd felt only a few moments ago. Frustrated at how cruel the world could be. The war was over. Everything they'd worked for, everything they'd sacrificed had finally payed off, you'd think that the horrors of war would end when the war did. But no, they were forced to relive them every night.

"What was it?"

She moved over to join him at the railing. He took his time in conjuring up am answer, but she didn't mind. When trying to talk about something that scared you away from your sleep, you couldn't be expected to have the perfect answers.

"The airships. You?"

She felt her whole body stiffen instinctively, she hadn't planned on him having that as his answer. That was her fear, not his.

"Me too."

She yielded the information reluctantly, she didn't exactly enjoy telling people, no matter how close she was to that person, her insecurities. She was the tough girl, the one who took care of herself. But it was different with him, at least now it was. He had been her anchor, the only thing keeping her tied to the rest of reality; she felt that she at least owed him a simply answer.

"What happened?"

His question was so innocent, but it nearly sucked all the air from her lungs. She couldn't answer, she didn't want to. But she did.

"You let me go. I-I fell."

Just the acknowledgment of her fear caused her chest to swell with pain all over again. Tears found her eyes and her cheeks shimmered when they slid to them. She felt him pull her into a tight hug and she cried into his shirt, her sobbing form enveloped by him, like he was trying to protect her from it. That's who he was, he was her protector.

"I will never EVER let you go Toph Beifong. Not then, not now, not ever."

And that was her comfort. She kept that one night locked away in her heart forever. Because no matter what happened, he would never let her fall.

* * *

**I always thought that that would have been a big scare for Toph. I mean not only is she hanging from only a hand hundreds and hundreds of feet above land, but she can't even see. I always thought that that had to be really scary for her. **

**There's part two! Expect more... well idk when, I'm having a hard time thinking up more moments. If you have any specific moments you wanna see put under closer observation let me know!**

**Huh no reviews last chapter?... Oh well! Not gonna stop me from writing!**

**See ya'll next time!**

**Kmsitterley **


	3. Sokka: His Legacy

"We are victorious!" Sokka heard the voice of his son cry out across the courtyard. He turned his attention from the table where he sat conversing with his wife and friends, to see the eight year old boy racing around with his red-headed daughter and the rest of their troop racing after him. He smiled and turned in his seat so that he was facing the playing children. There were five of them in all, Koda and Melody (Sokka and Suki's children), Ursa, Kya, and little baby Lin who slept in a basket next to her mother. Koda was the oldest of their little gang, not to mention the only boy, so he was usually the one leading their escapades.

He stood and walked over to the children. His son was using a small branch like a sword and waved it dramatically and Sokka could tell that he was telling a story to the other children who sat on the grass and giggled at the appropriate places. Koda's back was turned to him now and he held a finger to his lips to signal the girls not to tell their ring leader about the father sneaking up on him.

Each of the girls bit their lips in an attempt to contain the fits of laughter that threatened to overtake them; but right before Sokka reached the boy, Koda spun around and leapt at him, toppling them both into a heap.

"I gotchu' Dad!" The boy laughed proudly, "You can never sneak up on me!"

"No I can't," Sokka chuckled, sitting up, "What story were you telling?" He asked his still beaming son.

"Koda was tellin' us about when you and Momma and Daddy 'vaded the Fire Nation during the ellipse," Sokka's six year-old niece chirped and Sokka smiled at the child's miss-wording.

"_Eclipse_ not ellipse, Kya," he said pulling the girl into his lap, "Will you keep telling the story, Koda?" He asked, then turning to his son. The boy nodded proudly and picked up the stick that had been cast aside in their tumble. His four year-old daughter and Ursa climbed into his lap as well, settling in for the story.

"And then," the child began dramatically, "Daddy, Aunt Toph, and Uncle Aang chased Azula through the mountain, and they chased and chased and chased until Daddy realized that Azula wasn't even trying to win!" He cried with an incredulous expression on his face. Sokka smiled at the boy's enthusiasim, he'd defiantly taken more after him then his more sensible minded wife.

"So Daddy said that they needed to move on and ignore her, but then Azula said that she had Mommy in prison! And Daddy refused to leave until she told him where she was. But then the eclipse time ran out! So Azula got away and they had to run away so that they could escape before all the Fire Nation soldiers caught them too! But Daddy got them back in time so that some of them could escape to fight another day."

Sokka inwardly sighed as he thought again of those moments. They adrenaline had pounded through his veins as he ran, so desperate that they make it out in time. It had been his plan, his idea, and his personal failure. Afterward everyone had tried to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, but it was. He could pull out all sorts of good excuses to cover his letdown, but that wasn't who he was. He was a person to stand up and bear the responsibility for his actions, not just the ones that succeeded, but the ones that ended in defeat as well.

It had been _his_ fault that they ran out of time, no one else's. And he alone bore the shame for it; the taint that marked his career as a warrior. His children remembered this story as a feat of honor and valor on behalf of their father, but it had been his greatest humiliation.

He had felt shameful because he had always wanted to be his father, because he had always been perfect in Sokka's eyes as he was growing up; and that was how his children saw him. He had always seen his father as a man who had never failed and never made a wrong call in his life; he was the model of what Sokka was suppose to be. But, as he grew older, Sokka realized that he could never be his father, and that he never would be. His father hadn't been perfect, he'd made mistakes. And so had Sokka. Each of their mistakes had helped shape them into the men that they had become. But maybe if Sokka had realized this when he was younger, he could have made better choices.

Koda bowed when he'd finished his tale and his audience clapped appreciatively. But then Sokka gestured for him to sit with them. It was time for these children to discover that even he was flawed. He wanted the legacy that he left behind to be one that was flawed, because he wanted them to learn that it was ok to make mistakes, because he knew that they would. But they would stand back up after they'd been torn down, and come back even stronger then before. And that was his legacy.

"Alright, kiddos. Here's the true story behind the Day of Black Sun."

* * *

**I love Sokka, I truly do. I feel like we only got glimpses of his true character during the show... if that makes sense. **

**So ya! I wanted to do something different for Sokka and after a long 45 minutes of thought I finally got the idea to tell a story from a child's point of view, and then throw in a look at the beauty of the gaang being parents!**

**So let me know what you think! And REMEMBER I'm taking requests so if you want to see a moment LET ME KNOW! **

**The request for Zuko's POV during his encounter with the dragons: ****Shall I ship Zutara, or Maiko? Your request, your choice! So let me know so I can finish writing it and get it up here for you!  
**

**Leave a review if you like it!**

**Ya'll are awesome!**

**Kmsitterley**


	4. Zuko: The Dance of Dragons

He was dying. He could feel it in his bones. He wasn't physically ill or weak; but he was an old man, he'd lived a full life and he could feel it coming to an end.

Zuko stood in front of the floor length windows, watching the sun set behind the capital of the Fire Nation. He'd sent a messenger hawk to his eldest daughter, who was acting as an embassy in the Earth Kingdom, telling her that she was needed back home urgently. He'd sent the message three days ago, and he'd ordered the keeper of the hawks that the message be kept completely confidential; the last think he needed was his wife worrying herself to death.

Zuko smiled when he thought about his blue-eyed wife. Time had treated her well; everyone insisted that she looked remarkable for her ever growing age. In the few years before their marriage she'd filled out and taken a women's body, while still retaining her fantastic athletic form. After bearing two children, she'd fallen comfortably into a motherly form, with wider curves and darker lines beneath her eyes, but after all this time he still had yet to find another that could compare with her beauty. She moved slower now, but she was still as spirited as she'd ever been. There were laugh lines around her eyes, and her hair was silver now, instead of the chocolate brown that it once was. But her smile still lit up the room. He hadn't told her he was dying; he wouldn't put her through that pain. Not his precious water bender.

He turned at the commotion in the hallway; it sounded like several guards were trying to halt someone and stop them from entering his chambers, followed by a few angry shouts. He smiled when he heard his daughter yelling defiantly at them. Not five seconds later the double doors burst open, much to the protesting of the guards, but Zuko dismissed them with a wave of his hand. His daughter never had to make an appointment.

"Dad! I came as soon as I got the Hawk, what is it? What's wrong?" She sputtered anxiously.

Zuko smiled at her and motioned for her o give him a hug, which she did, and then he went and sat at the small table and poured two cups of tea for both of them.

"How is the Earth King?" He asked nonchalantly, and he glanced up to see her with crossed arms and a stubborn scowl on her face.

"I ran out on a meeting, bought an eel hound off the black market, and travelled non-stop for two days; and the first thing you ask is how the Earth King is?" She said, and he could tell that she was gritting her teeth.

He sat in one seat and motioned for her to sit in the one opposite to him, "Don't scowl at me that way, Ursa. You're here now, that's what matters." He said logically, "Besides, a beautiful young lady like you should be smiling." He added before sipping at his tea.

She looked at him skeptically for a few moments, "So there is no immediate threat?" She asked timidly. Zuko shook his head and motioned again for her to sit with him.

They sipped their tea in silence for a few minutes and Zuko watched the worry lines on his daughter's face slowly fade; and he saw that she must have truly not slept the past two nights. Her face was smudged with dirt and there was a small cut on her forehead that had already begun healing; there were also dark purple areas beneath her golden eyes.

She'd gotten her eyes from him. She had the traditional royal eyes, but her hair stood out among all other nobles'; it was brown like her mother's had been. She had abandoned the traditional top knot and wore it in a pony tail high on her head, and the long locks to the center of her back. She was wearing the same armor that he remembered seeing his sister wear so often.

He remembered being so afraid when Katara had given birth to her. The same blood that Azula carried, had been passed on to his daughter, and it was his greatest worry that she would become as much of a monster as his sister. But there was a great difference between the mad women and the one that sat across from him now, compassion. Although she was just as fiery as her mother, Ursa also had such love for people that it outweighed her short temper.

"Dad why did you send for me?" She suddenly asked, and he smiled and put down his tea.

"I want to tell you a story," was his simple answer.

She looked at him like he'd gone crazy, "You 'want to tell me a story'?"

He chuckled at her reaction and nodded earnestly, "Yes, yes I do."

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, "Alright, then tell."

He leaned into the back of his chair and looked her in the eye, "Before the end of the war, Avatar Aang and myself went to the ancient temples of the Sun Warriors to learn the original source of fire bending."

His daughter narrowed her eyes at him, "Dad, you've already told me this story," she said interrupting him. He smiled at his beautiful little girl. She was right, of course; but he hadn't told her everything she'd need to know.

"Yes, I told you what happened. But, I didn't tell the story within it," he said cryptically. She looked confused but he continued anyway, "When Aang and I were doing The Dancing Dragon, I could feel myself become… _merged _with the dragon itself. I could feel all of its power and wisdom; all of its strength and grace. When that creature looked me in the eye, I saw what it was seeing; and I've never felt fear like I did on that day."

"Not even when you faced Azula?" His daughter asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

"No," Zuko replied turning so that he was looking out the window while he talked, "I was scared because I saw all of my failures through the dragon's eyes, all of my crimes and betrayals were laid bare. And seeing myself like that, I had thought for sure that the world would be better without me. I thought I was going to die." Zuko paused looking back at his heir, seeing the pained look on her face before forging forward; he'd never told anyone about this before, if he was going to pass on the story he had to do it now.

"But then, when they showed me their fire. It was so beautiful, so destructive, yet so full of potential. The dragon showed me that I was the same; and that, although I had caused so much harm, I could be so much more. Because just like me, people could see the destructive power of fire and curse it, saying that the world would be better off without it. But then the world would miss out on so much. Because of fire, there are factories, hot air balloons, and heat for when we are cold. Even the Sun is one big ball of fire."

"'Fire isn't just death and destruction, but beauty and life', that's what you told Kuzon when he told you that he was afraid of his bending because he accidentally hurt his nursemaid."

Zuko nodded with a smile, she understood.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked him quizzically.

He reached across the table and grasped her hands in his, "Because someday you will be Fire Lord, and I don't want you to ever question your worth like I did."

They both stood and Ursa hugged her father tightly, "Well that won't be for a while yet," she said with a smile.

Zuko gave her a small smile and told her to go catch up on her rest before climbing into bed himself.

_Not as long as you think, my precious girl._

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_My father passed away last night. I have never felt so lost and alone in my entire life. My poor mother is beyond herself in sadness, but she someone manages to keep us all together in this horrible time. I will never understand how she is always so strong; right now she is having tea with Kuzon and Kya as they sit in front of the fire place. I couldn't stand to be around them any longer so I am writing this now at my father's desk in his office. Everything smells like him in here, but it offers very little comfort.  
_

_The doctor said that there was nothing physically wrong with my father, that it was simply "his time". I nearly fire bent him out the window. I would have suggested that he may have been poisoned, and I might have believed too. My father has always been so strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. I doubt even poison could have killed him. And, besides that, I think he somehow knew that he was going to die. Yesterday had I finally arrived back home under the impression that there was an emergency, only to discover that he wished to tell me a story. "I don't want you to ever question your worth like I did," is what he'd said. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I think he was saying goodbye. _

_I miss him more then my words can describe, this page is already the holder of so many tears. Never again will he tell me that he loves me or hug me tight. Even though I am grown, his hugs always made me feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt me. And now he is gone. _

_I can only hope that I will rule my country with the same honor and integrity that he did. He gave up so much for our people and the nation has flourished, now I can only hope to uphold it by using the morals and guidlines that he has taught me my entire life._

_The Fire Sages expect me to be present for my coronation tomorrow at dawn, but to their surprise, I will not be in the Fire Nation. I'm going to leave a note, for my mother, telling her that I will most likely be back within a month. There is something I need to do before I am willing to take on my beloved father's role, something I want to do in honor of him. _

_-Ursa_

The women closed her small journal and placed it carefully in a bag before slinging it over her shoulder. She scratched a quick note on a piece of scrap paper to her mother, explaining that she was safe and would be home soon.

"I'll make you proud, Dad. I'll be the ruler you always said I'd be."

Then, she ran her fingers over the surface of the maple desk one last time, wiped away her tears, and ran and jumped from the window. There was only one thought on her mind.

_I need to visit the masters._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_The end...?_

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**Ok, I had SUCH a hard time writing this and I tried to like rewrite it twenty times so that it wasn't sad... but alas, this is how it had to be :'( I just love Zuko so mcuh and the thought of him dying is just heartbreaking! *sniff* it's ok, I'll be alright. **

**I think I made Zuko kinda like Iroh here but that's how I imagine him being as a elderly man. And ALSO he really was only like 68 or somethin but I imagine that that was a pretty good age for living in that time period. So Ursa is like 30 (I'd like to think of her as younger but that's be a little weird) and Kuzon and Kya... I don't really care, thins isn't really about them :p But whatever you can make them all whatever ages you want! **

**I hope that this was satisfactory for you I3Len!**

**To be continued...? ;)**

**Gimmie more requests people!**

**Love you guyyyzzzz!**

**Kmsitterley**


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